STRATEGIES FOR



RETHINKING AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITIES IN THE DIGITAL AGE

by

Sharon Lawrence

P.O. Box 13541

Austin, TX 78711

(512) 837-5670/sharontx@

August 2010

Rethinking

Austin Public Library Facilities

in the Digital Age

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I. The Rise of the Digital Book

In 2006, Austin voters approved the expenditure of $90 million for a new central library facility. Based on current estimates, however, groundbreaking won’t be until Fall 2012 with the opening scheduled for Spring 2015, more than four years from now.

Four years is a long time.

When voters cast their ballots four years ago in favor of the new central library, no one had heard of Kindle, Nook, iPad, or Android. Publishing houses reigned supreme.

Kindle hit the market barely three years ago, but already it is driving substantial changes in the publishing world. Best selling horror novelist Stephen King became the first of what is expected to be a continuing stream of authors releasing eBook only versions of their work.[1] The late Stieg Larrson’s Millennium Trilogy novels just passed the million sale mark on Kindle.[2] The Christian Science Monitor added momentum to the digitization movement as it abandoned its daily print edition in favor of an electronic one earlier this year. 

With several vendors in the market place and more coming, prices for eBook readers are rapidly falling, and eBook sales are exploding. During June, sold 180 eBooks for every 100 hard cover ones.

Over the coming four years, these trends will accelerate.

Publishing industry consultant Michael Shatzkin estimates that within a decade, less than 25 percent of all books sold will be print versions.[3] Dorchester Publishing, the oldest independent mass-market publisher, already is going all electronic, with print copies to available only on demand.[4]

Thanks to Google books, Project Guttenberg, and other initiatives, the eBook phenomenon isn’t limited to newly published materials or the always in demand classics. With the click of a mouse, a reader may download free editions of tens of thousands of out-of-print works such The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian (Everyman’s Library edition). Widespread dissemination of such works is promoted as Project Guttenberg makes books available in seven different formats (e.g., HTML, plain text, and EPUB).

These developments have huge implications not only for the book, magazine, and newspaper industries, but for libraries as well.

Earlier this year, the visionary head of the Johns Hopkins medical library drew national attention with her groundbreaking move to a virtual library.  Although medical libraries and the patrons they serve are not typical of the library community, Nancy Roderer’s insights into the future of brick and mortar libraries, nevertheless, merit attention.[5]  The Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts similarly has gone digital.[6]

Building a library facility now based upon the assumption that it will display and store an ever increasing stockpile of books, CDs, and DVDs for decades to come – instead of being a virtual access point for digital information and media – is foolhardy for any jurisdiction.[7]

References services were among the first elements of the modern library to reflect the digitization of information. Virtually all the major reference works now are available electronically, many, no doubt, in place of, and not in addition to, print versions. Libraries now subscribe to such services and allow patrons online access, simply by using their library card number.[8] They also post on their web pages links to free reference sites.

For questions not easily answered by an online database or reference source, a trip to the library still is not necessary. Austin Public Library encourages individuals to email or telephone their questions to the reference staff. In addition, library patrons may “Chat with a Librarian” online.[9]

In light of these trends, attitudes towards bricks and mortar libraries need to be rethought immediately---especially in the City of Austin.

Given that the central library is planned for one of the choicest pieces of real estate in the downtown area, in part because of its presumed ability to fuel economic development in the area, one has to wonder if this is a wise use for that property. Will a new library at that location provide the economic driver that was predicted several years ago when the project was planned?[10]

II. Managing the Transition to the Digital Environment

With the migration away from print and toward digital media now clearly underway, it makes sense to minimize expenditures for new facilities designed to display and store tens of thousands of physical books, CDs, and DVDs. Library systems should be particularly cautious about constructing such facilities based on the assumption that high public demand will remain for old titles, even if the new publications move to electronic formats.[11]

Exploding options for free electronic downloads of out-of-print titles also call into question the long-term need to maintain ready access and open stacks for these publications. When will the costs of maintaining those open stacks outweigh the benefits?

For communities like Austin on the cusp of constructing new central libraries with large sections of open stacks, decision-makers should look at other options for more cost-efficient service options. The difficulties of shifting bond funding from one purpose to another shouldn’t bar policymakers from making a smarter decision based on a changing environment.

Option 1 – Creating a Different Type of Central Library

In place of building a new central library, the City could follow the lead of Austin Community College and acquire space at Highland Mall, working with ACC leaders to create a high energy lifelong learning hub there. The state’s Workforce Commission, whose Capital Area Workforce Solutions Center is across the street from Highland, should be invited to join in as well.[12]

Based on existing availability, the library could take over a vacant anchor store[13] or several adjacent stores (see graphic at end of text for sample layout).[14] In either configuration, the Highland Mall location already provides, or could easily be remodeled to offer, the features that the public said it wanted in a new central library.

(1) Program and exhibit space for community and cultural events. For exhibit space, how can you beat the window display areas in a mall? Need I mention too that the library already uses the fountain area at Highland for story time? Of course, the huge parking lot is ideal to support outdoor programming (e.g., install a tent and bleachers for concerts, musicals, and other events) as weather allows.

(2) Quiet reading and study spaces, separate from the often noisy children’s section. If the library would take over several adjacent stores, staff could easily segregate a noisy children’s section from quiet reading and study space by placing it in one existing store. Even better, the children could have a separate entrance to their special place!

(3) Dedicated program space for teens and adolescents. Using Mall space gives the library additional options to attract and serve teens. An existing store could be converted to a self-contained teen space. This section could be kept open different hours than the remainder of the library space, perhaps until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

(4) A family center offering programs and services for all ages. Again, very easy to carve out from existing store space. As an added benefit, seniors would still have the Mall as an indoor exercising (walking) facility assuming that it remains a vital retail facility.

(5) Improved information technology including a high tech center. With the money saved by halting building construction, more of the $90 million could go into equipping this facility with the state-of-the-art audio/video and computer equipment the citizenry wants/needs.

(6) Separate listening rooms for audio/visual collections. Once again, very easy to remodel existing Mall space for this purpose.

(7) Increased parking and accessibility, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Beyond the fact that Highland Mall already has thousands of parking places, it’s on a number of bus lines and is walking distance to the commuter rail line. Just off I-35 and Airport Boulevard, it’s an easy drive from many parts of the city and a quick bike ride from the UT campus or the residential neighborhoods nearby.

(8) Consolidation with Recycled Reads. Highland Mall offers the ideal retail environment for Recycled Reads, the library’s used book/media store.

(9) Amenities like a café and a well lit place to read. Given that the food court has skylights, a little creative interior design and the addition of electrical outlets for laptops by Mall owners is all that is needed to transform this area into an attractive café and salon. As an added bonus, this space would remain open after the library section closes.

(10) An environmentally friendly facility. What’s more environmental than remodeling an existing facility instead of building anew?

For those who laugh at the concept of a library in a mall, be advised that Bookmarks, the Dallas library branch located in North Park Mall, circulates more items than branches eight times its size. Worth noting as well is the fact that the North Park owners covered the costs of renovation and charge only $1 a year rent.[15]

Co-locating with educational facilities also may be the wave of the future. Late last year, Arlington County, Virginia cut the ribbon on a new community library attached to an elementary school.[16] The City of San Diego recently approved the construction of a new downtown library, with the San Diego Unified School District scheduled to lease two floors for a charter school.[17]

To minimize expenses for bricks and mortar but to maximize services, the Faulk central library should remain open as a branch library for the growing downtown population. The non-fiction collection should remain at the Faulk (eliminating the need for an expensive relocation to another site), but the Faulk’s children’s collection should be transferred to Highland Mall. The space now occupied by the children’s section could be remodeled to include additional computer workstations, meeting rooms, and/or study carrels.

Option Two – Expanding Services Through Branch Libraries

For those who are loath to abandon the Seaholm project because they fear being without a central library, such a situation would not be unusual. According to research conducted by the Bostwick Design Partnership for the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library system, many large library systems do not have main libraries.[18] Instead, they rely on a network of branch libraries, of various sizes and service mixes, to deliver services to the far reaches of their communities.

Facing budget pressures, the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Public Library is exploring various types of branch libraries as part of its “Rethinking Libraries for the 21st Century” initiative.[19] Managers of that system recently outlined four possible types of branch libraries: area, express, neighborhood, and mixed used facilities.

As proposed for Milwaukee, an area library would be a facility of 30,000 – 50,000 square feet, designed to hold a collection of 100,000 – 150,000 items and 70 computer workstations. A neighborhood library, according to MPL’s plan, would be 12,000 – 20,000 square feet, suitable for a collection of 60,000 – 80,000 items and 20 – 40 computer work stations.

The mixed use/co-located facility would be an 8,000 – 12,000 square foot space for 40,000 – 50,000 items and 20 – 25 computer workstations. Express locations would be only 500 – 1,500 square feet, just large enough for a small browsing collection and 2 – 3 computer workstations.

To expand its services, Colorado’s Pueblo City - County Library has satellites at a charter school, six local elementary and middle schools, and a school of natural sciences. Hours vary by facility.

Looking around Austin, opportunities abound to use existing buildings for branch libraries. A vacant furniture store near the corner of Braker and Kramer Lanes could be converted to a branch library for the rapidly growing northern portion of the city.[20] A short walk from the Kramer Lane Metro stop, IBM, the Pickle Research Campus, a day care center, the growing residential community at the Domain, and the large apartment complexes along nearby Metric Boulevard, the facility is readily accessible by MoPac and Highway 183, across the street from a bus stop (serving two lines), and on a bike route.

What better way to utilize that space than by equipping it with a computer training lab, 10 – 12 computer workstations for patron use, study carrels, and a focused book collection (perhaps science and technology).[21]

Certainly other properties would be prime locations for express facilities. Without the expense of outfitting locations with books and shelving, these express locations could pop up almost anywhere. To keep staffing costs down but service up, they could be open only from 3 - 9 p.m. weekdays and normal hours on weekends. Those express branches could be placed and moved easily as demand and demographics warrant.

III. Funding Digital Services

Even in flush times, the City underfunded the library system, especially for staffing and technology. Now, more than ever, Austin needs to spend its library dollars wisely. Thus all options for serving the public should be explored.

NetLibrary and Overdrive, for example, could help take the immediate pressure off library facilities, while enhancing customer service. Lightly used titles could be moved from the Faulk library to a closed stacks facility somewhere in the city, for retrieval upon request from patrons.[22]

In the alternative, APL could follow the lead of the Mentor (OH) public library in purchasing Nook eBook readers and preloading them with popular titles.[23] The Westport, Connecticut library gives its patrons the option of checking out one of five Kindles, also stocked with a variety of “in demand” works.[24]

Purchasing the eReaders themselves, and not just the download options, allows for faster circulation of the titles than is possible through download services like Overdrive, which prohibits the “return” of titles before the expiration of the 1 – 2 week loan period. If the library would buy the eBook readers and preload them with popular works, fast reading borrowers could read multiple books even during a one week loan period.

A new central library isn’t the only way to meet the needs of the Austin community. Any and all other options should be explored to ensure that the City makes the best investment of public funds.

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Bexar County Public Library Will Be Entirely Digital

by Madelyn Herzog

TM Daily Post

January 17, 2013

Bexar County has approved plans for the country’s first completely bookless public library system, with an experimental branch set to open on the county’s south side by the end of summer. This futuristic scheme, cleverly dubbed BiblioTech, was presented last week by County Judge Nelson Wolff, and instantly piqued nationwide interest.

Wolff, who “reads hardcover books” and boasts a thousand first editions in his personal library, doesn’t seem like the type to lead this digital undertaking, but the judge says he is realistic. “The world is changing,” Wolff said. He believes that future generations will have little practical use for books made of paper.

In addition to bringing a public library to the area—Bexar County currently pays San Antonio $3.7 million a year to use its system—the facility will provide better technological access to lower-income groups, Wolff argued. The South Side branch will vaguely resemble an Apple store, featuring rows of computer stations, laptops, and tablets. In addition, 100 e-readers will be available for residents to check out and bring home.

Bexar County is not the first district that has tried to ditch books. The Tucson-Pima Public Library system in Arizona opened a book-free branch in 2002, aiming to bring computer access to an area in need. However, after six years, the community demanded books and was granted its request. Two years ago, Newport, California pondered a bookless library that would serve as a community center and still offer books through a Netflix-esque system, but the plan was quickly quashed by public outcry.

Academic libraries have met more success. Nearby University of Texas at San Antonio has had an entirely digital library since 2010, and “the students love it,” according to Library Dean Krisellen Maloney.

In addition to the protest of physical book-lovers, an obstacle to the project is copyright technicalities. Major publishers, such as Penguin, have been hesitant to electronically partner with libraries, PCWorld notes. In 2011, Penguin pulled its e-books from libraries for security reasons.

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The Future of Librarians in an EBook World

Sarah Goodyear. The Atlantic Cities[25]

February 4, 2013

“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”

So wrote the steel baron and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who donated a great part of his vast fortune to establish some 3,000 such libraries around the English-speaking world, from his native Scotland to Fiji, and in 47 of the United States. Carnegie believed that libraries should be more than just repositories for books. He envisioned them as community centers as well, and many of them serve that purpose to this day.

But libraries in the 21st century face challenges that Carnegie could not have anticipated, and have struggled to retain their central role to the lives of cities and towns. One of the most profound realities libraries face is the move of readers away from printed books. In 2010, only 6 percent of Americans owned a tablet or e-book reader. By 2012, that percentage had jumped to 33 percent.

Libraries are responding to the decline of print in a variety of creative ways, trying to remain relevant – especially to younger people – by embracing the new technology. Many, such as New York’s Queens Public Library, are reinventing themselves as centers for classes, job training, and simply hanging out. In one radical example, a new $1.5 million library scheduled to open in San Antonio, Texas, this fall will be completely book-free, with its collection housed exclusively on tablets, laptops, and e-readers. “Think of an Apple store,” the Bexar County judge who is leading the effort told NPR. It’s a flashy and seductive package.

But libraries are about more than just e-readers or any other media, as important as those things are. They are about more than just buildings such as the grand edifices erected by Carnegie money, or the sleek and controversial new design for the New York Public Library’s central branch. They are also about human beings and their relationships, specifically, the relationship between librarians and patrons. And that is the relationship that the foundation created by Microsoft co-founder’s Paul G. Allen is seeking to build in a recent round of grants to libraries in the Pacific Northwest.

While the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is funding tech initiatives such as a smart phone application for the Washington State Library, the focus on the human element is key, according to Sue Coliton, the foundation’s vice president. “We believe it’s not either/or,” says Coliton. “The technology opportunities are additive. The librarian should remain at the center.” 

So one of the major investments the foundation is making this year is in a readers’ advisory program that will pair library patrons in Multnomah, Oregon, with librarians who will personally assist them with reading choices, building long-term relationships that will ideally transcend any technological innovations. It builds on a program at the Seattle Public Library in which readers submit answers to a short questionnaire to get advice from individual librarians on what they might want to read next. The new Oregon program will be designed as a model that librarians around the country can look to.

In an environment where we are continually being solicited to buy, click on, or otherwise consume products selected for us by algorithms (which often make ridiculous and even insulting suggestions), the presence of a guiding human sensibility seems more valuable than ever. A good librarian, unlike the monetizing formulas employed by Google or Amazon or Facebook, is not only capable of independent thought, he or she is also committed to nurturing critical thinking in others. All the technological bells and whistles a library can employ are pretty much worthless if there’s no one minding the store.

“Studies show that patrons are more engaged with libraries when they have a relationship with a librarian,” says Lisa Arnold, who manages grants and library programs for the Allen foundation. And the librarians she meets, says Arnold, are passionately convinced that libraries, with all the information they contain, are anything but obsolete in the modern age. “To a person, people I meet are so excited about the future of libraries,” says Arnold. “They scoff at the idea that libraries are going away.”

The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset had this to say about librarians in 1934 – another time in history when people felt overwhelmed by social change, new technologies, and an uncertain economy:

Here, then, is the point at which I see the new mission of the librarian rise up incomparably higher than all those preceding. Up until the present, the librarian has been principally occupied with the book as a thing, as a material object. From now on he must give his attention to the book as a living function. He must become a policeman, master of the raging book.

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Library Visits Enter Future at BiblioTech

By Guillermo Contreras : September 14, 2013

This isn't your parents' old library. There are no drab-colored, uncomfortable wood chairs, a card catalog or tiny numbers on the spines of books.

In fact, there are no “physical” books, bookshelves or a gray-haired librarian peeking over horn-rimmed glasses to make sure you hush up.

In these brand-new digs at 3505 Pleasanton Road, the colors are vibrant and the ambiance is nouveau chic. The librarians are younger techies and you can pick the electronic books off the “shelves” via a mobile device from a computing “cloud,” or via large touch screens on site. Think Apple store rather than antiques shop.

Welcome to BiblioTech, the first of its kind digital public library system in the country.

During its grand opening Saturday, Bexar County officials ditched the traditional ribbon-cutting for a more modern approach. They pushed a button with the power on/off symbol and it fired off a pair of small “cannons” of confetti.

Next to Bexar County's Precinct 1, BiblioTech is in an area that officials say truly needs it.

The $2.4 million library system is based in a predominately Hispanic, low-income neighborhood on the South Side, where 75 percent of the population lacks Internet access. County Judge Nelson Wolff envisioned the system after having an epiphany inspired by a biography of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Wolff and other speakers said they hoped it would help promote literacy.

“We'd like to see this grow in the community ... particularly in areas where there are no bookstores,” said Commissioner Paul Elizondo.

“This is better than a bookstore 'cause it's free,” Wolff said. Such a technical, visionary approach sent the project over budget, so Wolff said he asked staff to raise some private money. More than $500,000 in private donations came in.

One of the donors, Graham Weston, CEO of Rackspace Hosting, championed the system partly because it uses the computing cloud, where he said the e-book collection can grow and e-books won't get damaged or lost. He was among the library's first clients and was given an e-reader device after checking out an e-book.

“They'll measure the success of this library not only by the number of people who come through its doors, but also how many people download its (cloud) app and check out a book,” Weston said.

After the ceremony, a long line of people assembled to sign up for a library card. Though some patrons, like Herón Peña, 85, encountered glitches, the staff resolved their concerns.

The facility is equipped with 700 e-readers, 200 enhanced e-readers preloaded for children, 48 iMac desktop computing stations, nine Mac laptops, 40 iPads, four interactive touch screen tables and an X-Box gaming system hooked up to two large screens.

The e-book collection is provided by 3M Cloud Library and includes 10,000 titles, with plans for more.

The library includes an Internet cafe, children's learning area, digital research room, a reading commons, group study rooms and a community room. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Esperanza Pargas, 68, and friend Patricia Enriquez, 61, don't have Web access at home. Now, it's doors away.

“It's excellent,” Pargas said. “It's going to be very easy to pick a book and not have to worry whether I lose it or damage it.”

“I think it's going to be a big step forward,” said Juanita Fierro, who brought her daughters Vivian Fierro, 18 months, and Belen Mendoza, 10, to the grand opening.

“It's definitely (overdue) for San Antonio and especially the South Side,” she said.

“I love the games and the library,” Belen said. “You can get it at the touch of a button.”

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It’s Here: A Library With

Nary a Book

By EDWARD NAWOTKA

Texas Monthly, January 18, 2014

Residents called to jury duty at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio are now able to check out one of 200 e-readers while they wait to be called to serve.

Potential jurors can also sign up for a library card or get help downloading an app to check out e-books on their own devices. The service is an extension of BiblioTech, one of the country’s first all-digital libraries, which opened in September and is run by Bexar County.

The project itself is the brainchild of Judge Nelson Wolff of Bexar County, an avid book collector who was inspired by the increasing digitalization of the New York Public Library and by Walter Isaacson’s biography of the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs.

And it has been put in the hands of Laura Cole, special projects coordinator, who was in charge of researching, funding and executing the library.

“I searched around the country for a precedent, and found some failed and stalled projects,” Ms. Cole said. “It was amazing to me that it hadn’t been done before.”

The main branch is in a low-income district about seven miles from the county courthouse in a building with a tax assessor, a constable’s office and a justice of the peace.

Inside, BiblioTech resembles a computer lab on a college campus. Visitors find two long rows of 48 iMacs, an “iPad bar” with a dozen iPads and a circulation desk. A door leads into a dimmer room with two Xbox 360s with Kinect and four Microsoft Surface touch-screen video tables with interactive Kaplan educational games.

A tiny cafe sells coffee, thumb drives and headphones, while a space in the back is furnished with bright benches for patrons who bring their own devices. Those without can check out one of BiblioTech’s 10 Macbook Pros or 40 iPads by the hour for use in the library.

Not a printed page in the form of a book can be found. The library has 600 e-readers for home use. Patrons can check out up to five e-books, choosing from 18,000 titles (more than a thousand of which are in Spanish) on their personal e-readers or on one borrowed from the library.

The checkout period is two weeks, after which a book simply disappears from the device. Children up to 12 years old are offered a Nook tablet preloaded with hundreds of children’s titles.

“We’ve yet to lose a device in the four months since we’ve been open,” the head librarian, Ashley Eklof, said.

But is a library without books a library at all?

“We have maintained from the beginning that we are a digital library, not a bookless library,” said Ms. Eklof, who, like the rest of the staff, wore a sporty BiblioTech-branded polo shirt. Books or no books, she said, the goal is the same: to give residents access to information and research assistance.

The library is busiest after neighborhood schools let out, when it is often difficult to find a free computer, Ms. Eklof said. But on a quiet Thursday morning earlier this month, only a few patrons were using the computers, all watching YouTube videos. Reception, though, was busy, explaining the library’s protocols to a steady stream of guests.

George Stephenson, 81, a retired landscaper, “drove a distance” with three others to get library cards after hearing about BiblioTech from friends and on a local newscast.

“My local library is far,” Mr. Stephenson said. “I like to read, and if I don’t have to get into a car to get a book, that’s just great.”

Since BiblioTech opened, visitors from as far away as Hong Kong and the Netherlands have come to this out-of-the-way corner of San Antonio to take a look at the operation.

Keith Ferguson, a board member of the Rolling Hills Regional Library District in St. Joseph, Mo., made a detour while on a road trip through Texas to see if he could glean new ideas from BiblioTech about how to use technology in a library. “It’s a first-class operation,” he said. 

It is also economical. At a cost of $2.2 million to build, stock and staff, BiblioTech is a bargain compared with the downtown library being built in nearby Austin, which has a budget of more than $100 million. BiblioTech’s yearly operating costs are budgeted at $1.1 million. “Getting it going cost us a third less than the $3.7 million Bexar County contributes annually to the San Antonio public library system, which has 26 libraries,” Ms. Cole said.

With a population of 1.7 million, Bexar County “is growing at the fringes, which leaves residents farther and farther away from existing libraries,” she said. “BiblioTech’s platform allows us to reach those people.”

The county plans to extend BiblioTech’s reach to “where the people are”: shopping districts, transit stations and large businesses.

Rackspace, a cloud computing company with 5,000 employees, has enquired about getting a BiblioTech kiosk, as have several local schools.

“San Antonio is the seventh most populous city in the country but ranks 60th in literacy,” Ms. Cole said. “If we can help make reading fun and get people around here excited about it, how awesome would that be?”

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About the Author

A public policy consultant based in Austin, Texas, Sharon Lawrence has an extensive background in federal, state, and local government. She served as Research Director for the National Association of Counties and worked in various professional capacities for the US Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, National Association of Towns and Townships, Oklahoma House of Representatives, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the US House of Representatives.

Ms. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Texas – Austin. A highly skilled personal historian/genealogist, Lawrence authored the acclaimed “Tips for Researching Military Service Records” and a detailed history of the US Navy ship LST #705 on which her late father served during 1944 - 1945. She prepared this document for the benefit of her community.

Sample Layout for Library in Mall

(Connecting Four or Five Adjacent Stores)

Notes

The above would be adjacent existing stores with connecting doors added that could be closed/opened as circumstances warrant. Recycled Reads (used book store), classrooms, and meeting rooms could be adjacent to, across from, or in another section based on space availability (although classrooms and meeting rooms might best be located in the low traffic areas of the mall).

Ideally, the Quiet Room would be wood paneled with some antique appointments, thus creating a homelike feel. Similarly the Main Room could be wood paneled but with bookshelves lining the walls, thus creating an unusual browsing experience.

Existing exhibit space at the front of each store could be utilized for book displays or information about library programming. If possible, a kiosk could be placed in front of the main entrance with a computer connected to the library’s web page, to allow people to reserve books or register for library programs even when the library was closed. The kiosk also could feature an event calendar and spaces to display library brochures.

With the approval of Mall managers, space in the core of the Mall (e.g., near the fountain) or outside in the parking lot could be used for programming (e.g., concerts or sky watching). Addition of an outdoor pavilion with bleacher seating and appropriate landscaping could be a tremendous asset to the community.

-----------------------

[1] .

[2] Reuters, “Stieg Larsson Passes 1 Million Kindle Milestone,” (July 27, 2010).

[3] Miller, Claire Cain, “E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon,” New York Times (July 20, 2010).

[4] “E-books Arrive with a Rush – and Caveats,” Christian Science Monitor (August 12, 2010).

[5] .

[6] .

[7] Although this essay focuses on the changes affecting print documents, experts also predict the shift of audio and video offerings from CDs and DVDs to download transmission only in the not-too-distant future. That’s another factor that must be considered in library planning, because, for most libraries, 25 – 50 percent of the items circulated are CDs or DVDs.

[8] Patrons also having access to reference services through TexShare, .

[9] In some jurisdictions, reference services are available 24/7 with a network of librarians available (at a remote site) to respond to these questions. For the latter, libraries may pool resources to share the costs of these service enhancements.

If discussions have not occurred heretofore, this might be an excellent time to consult the Round Rock and Cedar Park libraries about creating such a cooperative reference system.

[10] At this point, no one may reliably predict how the digitization movement will affect the demand for library services. Now patrons eager to read a newly released work must pick between buying one for $20 - $35 (plus tax and/or shipping charges) or waiting an unknown amount of time to borrow it from the local library. Especially in down times, most opt to wait to borrow the item from the library for free.

If most eBook prices remain at/below $10, at what point do droves of current patrons abandon the library in favor of an instant electronic purchase? How will the policies of some eBook vendors to allow “sharing” of eBook titles affect demand for library books?

Some experts anticipate that publishers will adopt a Netflix model as well, allowing individuals to borrow (rather than buy) an eBook (e.g., $4.95 to borrow 2 titles each for a two week period or $8.99 to borrow 4 titles each for a two week period).

With multiple options in play for obtaining eBooks instantly and affordably, what will be the impact on demand for library services generally? At what point does public support for libraries evaporate because the majority of people, except for the very poor or the exceptionally frugal, access materials more easily and affordably through private channels (and without the worry of late fees)?

[11] A careful examination of circulation records for all of these titles is essential to sound policymaking in this regard.

[12] Once such a partnership would be announced, career related service providers or educational product vendors should relish the opportunity to relocate into the Mall. Foot traffic should increase too, encouraging existing merchants to stay in place. Addition of the library presence and ACC to the Mall should turn a troubled property into a vibrant one, paying multiple dividends to the City.

[13] Either the empty JC Penney’s location (not owned by Highland Mall) or the space now occupied by the Dillard’s outlet store. The latter is under lease to Dillard’s until 2017 but, one assumes, Dillard’s might be happy to relinquish it for such an important community project.

[14] For administrative efficiency, the spaces could be connected simply by creating passage doors (similar to those that connect adjacent hotel rooms). The advantage of the “adjacent space” approach is that each unit would have separate entrances and thus could be opened or closed as events warrant. Access to meeting and reading rooms would not be limited to the times when the library itself is open.

[15] Stengle, Jamie, “Libraries Focus on Convenience with Mall Locations,” Associated Press (July 6, 2010).

Washington, DC took a bold step by placing a branch library in the Deanwood aquatic and community center, .

Library officials in Wichita, Kansas have been even more creative in locating branch libraries, placing one in a grocery store. (See photograph on next page.)

[16] ,

[17] Alpert, Emily “Downtown Library’s Revival Complete,” Voice of San Diego (June 28, 2010 – updated July 12, 2010).

[18] Among the largest systems in the country without a main library are Los Angeles County (CA), Riverside County (CA), San Bernardino County (CA), San Diego County (CA), Las Vegas – Clark County Library District (NV), Harris County (TX), Fairfax County (VA), and King County (WA).

Other large systems without a main library are Maricopa County (AZ), Contra Costa County (CA), Lee County (FL), Gwinnett County (GA), Anne Arundel County (MD), Baltimore County (MD), Montgomery County (MD), Mid-Continent (Independence, MO), Wake County (NC), Metropolitan (Oklahoma County, OK), Salt Lake County (UT), Pierce County (WA), and Sno-Isle Regional (WA).

Source: Cuyahoga County Public Library, Library Facilities Master Plan Executive Summary (December 2009).

[19] .

[20] The store, located at 2236 West Braker Lane, offers 25,000 square feet of space and a loading dock.

[21] For an illustration of the type of computer lab that could be installed, see the Cerritos, California’s high tech lab, .

In the alternative, IBM could be approached about sponsoring a literacy center at that site. Not only is IBM a resident of the neighborhood, the company also has developed Reading Companion, a web-based literacy program to help adults and children “gain and increase literacy skills.” Thus, sponsorship of such a center could advance IBM’s existing corporate mission. By virtue of the close proximity to IBM, staff could easily contribute substantial amounts of volunteer hours to the effort.

[22] The requested item would then be delivered to any branch library designated by the patron for pickup there. This is already a popular service among patrons and thus would add to general customer satisfaction, rather than reduce it.

[23] For the library’s Nook title list, see .

[24] .

[25].

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Teen Section

Books

Computers

Check Out Station

External Door

Children’s Section

Activity Areas

Books

Computers

Check Out Station

External Door

Main Room

Audio/Visual Collection

Adult Fiction/Non-fiction

General Reference

Staff Space

Check Out Station

External Door

Quiet Room

Computers

Laptop Connections

External Door

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